ASV GONWARA by Asha Philadelphia

March 23, 2007

Progress Report (telephone)

Arti Sanganeria and Manisha Joshi

Here are the details of our conversation (March, 2007) with Manoj Kumar from Asha Samajik Vidyalaya, Gonwara village.

Project progress

  • Student progress:Students are learning how to read and write in Hindi. They are also learning some basic English. In addition they are getting better at multiplication, division (math). It was mutually agreed that now that children have started coming to school it is important to start thinking about a structured curriculum. This will help in moving towards the goal of admitting them in the government school (1.5 kms away). The stewards stressed on the fact that currently the focus needs to be on educational curriculum development and Arti and Manisha will manoj in this area. Also Manoj recognizes the need for developing some mechanisms to evaluate student progress and performance and a structure curriculum will also help in this process.
  • Expansion:Project work has also been extended to two more sites- Mahe and Dengrahi. Manoj will send a detailed report documenting the activities in these additional centers. Arti and Manisha suggested that given the fact that currently there are only two project team members who are regularly working on this project, the focus should be on quality of education being provided to children at Gonwara. Expansion to other sites/centers should be a slow process. So much of expansion in such a short period of time can be difficult to handle. Manoj agreed that there has to be a balance between quality of education being provided and expansion of the program.
  • Teacher student ratio – Manoj and his co-worker are handling around 45 kids in Gonwara and 30-40 kids in Mahe as well as Dengrahi. The timings for these three centers have been fixed in a way that Manoj and his team mate can mange the three centers. The timings for ASV Gonwara are 10.30 am -1.30 am. For the other two centers it is either before 10.30am or after 1.30 pm. In Mahe and Dengrahi, the program is functioning like an After-school program because the children who come to these centers are going to the government school. These are forums for children to talk about various issues, tell stories, learn how t make papers objects etc.
  • Team members:The third member in the project left the team sometime back. But Manoj is hopeful that he will return as he has been showing interest in the work again. Manoj thinks that if the remuneration can be increased from Rs. 600 to around Rs. 1000/- it will be a great help since economic problem can be a big constraint for people even though they might be dedicated.Manoj is also trying to meet with the local leaders and other community members as a strategy to recruit new dedicated members in the project team.
  • Right to Information activites: Manoj is aware of the importance of RTI and will work towards formulating a strategy.

Budget

  • Manoj clarified that the Health camp he is planning will only be for the children in the community. Manisha and Arti suggested that since organizing a health camp can be a huge task and given that Manoj does not have the required manpower currently, health camp idea will need to be postponed for atleast 6 months.
  • Manoj will provide specific details on what comes under Teaching material and Study material
  • Teacher salary – will this depend on work load? This needs some more thought.
  • Manoj clarified that students are asked to buy their own books in lower grades. However higher grade students are provided with books by the project.
  • Manoj will clarify about the new slates needed and how often are new slaes needed?
  • Arti and manisha suggested that the idea of a Patna Tourshould be postponed for six months. However once the project becaomes more stable and has more members, this Patna tour could be used as an incentive to motivate children to do well.

Site Visit

  • Manisha, Arti and Manoj agreed on a site visit in the near future since it has been a yea since the last visit. Manoj is excited about it and says it will be good to share/show the work his team has been doing at Gonwara. Manisha will writie to Vallabh bhai for organizing a site visit soon.

Documents/Details that Manoj will send to Manisha and Arti

It was mutually decided that in the following two weeks Manoj will send a detailed report on the ASV Gonwara project work. The report will specifically consist of the following components:

  • Budget specifics on playing materials, teaching materials etc. as mentioned in the proposed budget (1 year) that was sent by Vallabh bhai and Manoj for the period Aug 2007-2008.
  • Administrative details on how the work is being managed given that it has been extended to Dengrahi and Mahe.
  • Case studies of some of the students to gauge their progress. Also videos, photographs, sample of student work etc.
  • Details on the educational methods being used with the children of specific age groups
  • Detailed account/report of the expansion work and the kind of activities that have been taken up in Dengrahi and Mahe
  • Details on the Physical structure (Walled / Concrete / Hay Stack)of the school/ASV at Gonwara
  • Pictures of the school structure, children’s project work, books being used etc.